I am quite please with the way these chairs turned out. No paint here. Lisa prefers to let the premium, hand-selected white oak to shine through. Three applications of Watco's Exterior oil finish should provide protection against the against the severe ocean climate where they will reside. As with my painted chairs, I do recommend covering your Weekenders when not in use for extended periods. Customers have highly recommended the Adirondack chair covers available through Plow and Hearth. They fit and have an elastic drawstring to close them up tight.
My Annual Bahhhn Sale is now scheduled for November 20th and will be advertised far and wide in The Forecaster on the week before. You can expect to see several floor model Weeekender Chairs, Walden Walkers walking sticks, assorted rustic furniture as well as my rather large collection of gently used paperbacks. All will be sold at bargain basement prices. No reasonable offer will be refused. I must be crazy. Stay tuned for photos of inventory and updates as we get closer to November. Note: the two chairs shown are available for $295 each.
These two Weekender chairs have just returned from hard duty at the West Gardiner Service Plaza of the Maine Turnpike. Considering the use and abuse they've sustained over the past three months I am impressed and proud of their outstanding performance. They are still rock solid and look as good as they did on the day they were "born". Welcome home amazing chairs!
Weekenders in "Apple Green" and "Clearest Ocean Blue" catching some rays before heading up to Gardiner, Maine on Friday, 6/22. They will be available for your relaxing pleasure at the Center For Maine Craft located at the Turnpike Service Plaza. Bring a beverage, bring your laptop. Take a test rest. Let me know what you think!
These two Weekenders are almost complete. Install seat slats. Cut and sand bungs. Final coats of finish. Then they will be ready for delivery to The Center For Maine Craft at the service plaza in Gardiner, off Maine Turnpike Exit 51. I would like to kindly invite you to stop by and say hello. They will be for sale, so if you fall in love while sitting, you can take them home and enjoy them on your own front porch or deck or dock or great room for that matter. Or if you would like a different color give me a call. I am forever building more, more, more.
I just finished brushing on the 2nd coat for some 60 or so "Weekender" chair parts. Painting is one of those relaxing jobs where the mind is allowed to wander with minimal potential for drastic consequences. Have I painted my hand more than once? Sure. Spilled a whole quart of expensive paint? You bet. Tracked said expensive paint into the house? Absolutely. Still there's something so sweetly rewarding about being surrounded by a bundle of freshly painted chair parts. I know I am getting near the end of another craftsman's journey. I am close to completing another set of Weekender chairs. Soon somebody is going to have some of my Fresh Art on their lawn or patio. It doesn't get much better than this, does it?
"Iris" and "Crocus" will be appearing at Kennebunkport Arts gallery of fine craft in Dock Square beginning on June 19th. Stop by and check them out. Relax. Sit a spell and, if the spirit moves you, you can order two for yourself. Just give me a call to get the process started. (207) 351-6966.
We have applied the final of three coats of Ben Moore's finest to Kay and Jim's Weekender Chairs. A couple of days to cure and we'll be ready for delivery. I think about all the good times and stories these chairs will witness over many Maine summers to come. It's been another great journey. Tomorrow we'll be starting a brand new project. I can hardly wait.
There are 64 countersunk screws in each chair, and every single one of them will need to be plugged. It's a long job, but somebody's got to do it. It's the price I pay, the investment I make, to ensure my chairs are weather-tight. I start by cutting my own oak plugs on the drill press. A little dab of glue on each plug and we fill the hole. Once the glue is dry it's a matter of cutting away the excess plug and paring it flush to the surface with a sharp chisel. Now we're ready for final sanding and a coat of primer. We'll apply two coats of Ben Moore's finest exterior acrylic over the weekend. Then Kay and Jim's chairs will be ready for delivery. Just in time for early spring lounging.
It's always a good feeling when the pieces all fit! The seat planks require some minor adjustment. Then all will be screwed down tight, countersunk and plugged. The plugs will be cut flush and sanded. Then it will be off to the paint room for a coat of primer and two coats of Ben Moore's high quality exterior acrylic. By then we will have worked up quite a thirst. I can't wait to sit back in our completed Weekender Chair and enjoy the first lemonade of the year.
The last couple of days I have been making chair parts. I sort through my milled oak looking for appropriate sizes to fashion the chair's foundation: legs, arms and braces. The parts are cut using a combination of freehand band saw work and miter saw. The miter saw helps me to cut the many precise angles called for in the design. Once the parts are cut and sanded, I "dry fit" the pieces to make sure everything lines up. So far luck is on my side. We have tight fitting joints all around. Tomorrow we head into the assembly phase.
Once I've determined how much lumber I'll be needing, I cut the 8' long boards to approximate length and head to the Jointer. This is where the milling operation starts. Our goal is to get our rough oak boards flat, square and uniform in thickness. The Jointer will yield stock that is flat on one face and one edge, and those sides come together at a perfect 90 degree angle. I then run the jointed boards through the planer flat face down. This will give me boards with two flat faces parallel to one another and square to the jointed edge. I will then rip these boards to finished width and clean up the edge on the jointer. Now that I have my oak flat and square, we're ready to make chair parts!
We started a new project last weekend. Two custom chairs for Kay and Jim. I've had many folks ask me about the whole process, so I thought it would be fun to blog as I build. You can come along if you'd like. Kay and Jim wanted me to replicate a set of their favorite Adirondacks. The originals, built by a local carpenter had provided years of service but had started to breakdown.
and you're sittin' on top of the world..." Love that old Beach Boys song. Here's one of my latest designs. I call it "The Wave". It's got the same comfortable pitch as my Weekender chair but with a bit more flair. As I write, we have 30 degrees of Fahrenheit, with wind chills in the low 20's. Welcome to spring in Maine. But it won't be long now. Summer's on the way. The folks will be opening up their cottages and returning to the beaches. The surf will indeed be up and you'll be sitting on top of your world. Catch a Wave chair today and you can enjoy summer all year long.
I made these chairs for Rob Henry. He has has a camp on Peak's Island in Casco Bay. He was pretty cool about the design, giving me full artistic control except for the color. "I don't care what they look like but I need to have them painted black." You know what they say about the customer always being right. I think in this case, Rob hit a home run. 
Nature's first green is a wonderful hue. With the first day of spring now only a week or so away, I am already seeing some flowers pushing up through the leaves in our garden. Of course in Maine we are about to enter Mud season. But that's ok, for out of the brown muck always springs glorious green.
Another custom order for a set of "Grace" chairs yields this delicious beauty. The matching chair is a light coral. Very tasty. They should look fantastic together as they grace my client's garden path.
I've been putting together my 2010 events calendar for publication to my website. Here's what we have planned thus far:
Or Reitveld Adirondack. One wonders if the dutch designer used the Westport chair as inspiration for his Red and Blue Chair from c.1923. In any event it's all good. Re-interpretations and re-inventions happen all the time. It's the role of the tinkerer, the Yankee tradesman to borrow whatever isn't in his tool bag to get the job done. With my humble heartfelt thanks to all the great designers who came before me, I give you Reitveld Rustic. With a shelf for books!
I took some time out from Adirondack chair making this past week to fulfill a customer request for a rustic rocking chair. The Chesuncook rocker design dates back to the late 1990's but it still looks sharp today. Sugar maple saplings are joined using pinned mortise and tenon joints. The back slats are white ash and the rockers are red oak. I have woven the seat using 100% cotton shaker tape. I'd be happy to make one for you!
Spring is right around the corner and I'm already looking forward to Spring Training. For me that entails breaking down my machinery, cleaning and lubricating all the moving parts. Sharpening all cutting edges. Cleaning all dust collection air filters. Inventorying shop supplies like sandpaper, fasteners and finishes. Getting out the shop vac. Fine tuning my maker's eye and hands. Getting it all together for another big season ahead. Getting ready to strike out the competition and hit many home runs for my customers.
All work and no play makes Dirk a dull boy. I like to take time out from woodworking and head to the Adobe CS4 suite to mess around. This is called "jungle_work". It's meant to be really big so click on the image to get a better impact statement. The great thing about digital imaging is the ease with which you can change or redraw something. The manipulations and permutations are endless. It's like an endless banquet, a delightful feast. Why not take a byte?
I'm seeing pink. Pink is bubble gum, Bermuda sand, a bunny's nose, the perfect sunset. It's also my 5 year old neighbor Ava's favorite color. It makes an excellent custom color for one of my Weekender chairs. Pink is festive, fun and magical. Next time your trying on colors for your home or garden think pink. 
This is the third winter spent outdoors for "Karl". I name all my test chairs. Karl is made from weather tight white oak and protected with three coats of Benjamin Moore's finest grade of exterior house paint. Bunged stainless steel screws are used as fasteners. Only spring will tell, but I must say, in previous years, Karl has passed my winter endurance test with flying colors. If my chairs can survive the worst weather Maine winters can throw at them, imagine how well they'll hold up for you all summer long.
Here is Grace, my trusty workshop companion. When she's not helping me build chairs, she spends her time defending her turf against rodents, small children and those feral cats from next door. Her ferocity is well known in these parts. Her friendship and loyalty are firm and never ending.
I am just about finished with a new batch of chairs. This one still needs seat planks and finish. The customer has requested the natural look so I will use Waterlox tung oil varnish to give the wood a warm luster and some protection from the elements. The wood is white oak, cherished for it's strength and water tight capabilities. These chairs will give the customer years of good use and, I hope, will be treasured and passed along to the next generation.
This one is called "sunday_drive". Click on the image to make it pop. I think half the fun of producing abstract artwork is the ability to name them anything you want. At the moment I completed this image I was thinking about a time in my life when I'd just had to get out and drive. Physical speed. It's just what I need.
Bring the outdoors in. A Weekender chair can be a very useful and comfortable companion when brought indoors. Here it supports my wife and her laptop at a very relaxing height. The natural cherry looks quite handsome in our house and lends an informal, warm feel to the whole living room. I have noticed a trend of bringing the outdoors inside and vice versa over the past decade or so. The resurgent interest in rustic arts is spreading, with designers and decorators adding camp items to their clients' homes, cabins and cottages. Rustic Chic works well in many interior environments where an eclectic mix is preferred. Blending old and new, formal and informal works for folks who in Thoreau's words, "love a broad margin to [their] lives".
I have a collection of 8 floor samples and prototypes. They are all in excellent condition. I am trying to find good homes for them. There's nothing my Weekender chairs love more than serving you, our valued customers. I am willing to play let's make a deal. each chair comes with paint for touch ups or fresh coat. If you are one of the first callers I will throw in one of my famous and no longer available Walden Walkers walking sticks. I must be crazy! Call today (207) 351-6966.
Here we have my Weekender chair on the left and Brand X on the right. If you want a chair that develops a bad case of the wobbles, practically seats you on the ground and is guaranteed to fall apart in a couple of years, then buy Brand X. It kills me that a company so obsessed with "quality" would sell such a crappy product. If on the other hand you want a chair that's rock solid, whose seat and back angles provide for easy egress, and will be passed along to the next generation, then I humbly suggest you buy my Weekender chair. Our "quality" is not just a convenient catch phrase. Call today, operators are standing by... (207) 351-6966.
I still have a few slots available in my Spring 2010 build schedule. If you call today I can guarantee late April delivery. Just in time to open up the camp. Imagine, if you will, relaxing in your brand new Weekender chairs after a long day of spring cleaning. You and your special one(s). You sit back and look around you. It's time to appreciate all you've worked so hard for. Contentment fills your heart as the early Spring sunset fills your eyes. Call today to place your order (207) 351-6966.
I am back at the digital easel. Taking a break at the computer while the shop warms up. January is half-way gone. In February, I can almost see the end of another long winter. It's that white light at the end of a very long tunnel. I am looking at "Winter Interlude" and thinking some of those patches of strange light would make great chair colors. Well, enjoy. Click on the image to reap the full effect. It's like a big colorful wool blanket. Meanwhile I'll head back to the sawdust and wood chips!